More and more gamers are looking to embrace the benefits of an entertainment room centered around a PC or laptop. Steam’s Big Picture mode is perfect for gaming on a TV, but what about hardware? Wireless gaming peripherals are all well and good, but we all know that wired is the way to go for performance and reliability.

Today, were taking a look at the Roccat Sova Gaming Lapboard, an ambitious product that bridge the gap between desk-and-chair gaming and living room gaming. It’s comfortable, extremely customisable, performs well and it delivers on its promise – but is it worth its asking price?

Features:

Ergonomic design

Customisable, replaceable components

Plastic membrane keys

Durable design

Lag free

Customisable rear-lit keys

High-accuracy mousepad

Works with Roccat Swarm

Specifications:

275 x 240mm mousepad, replaceable

Replaceable wrist rest and lap cushions

2 x USB 2.0 Ports

Roccat Talk enabled

Multimedia functions

4m break-away cable

512kb memory + Arm IC

100Hz polling rate

Advanced anti-ghosting with N-key rollover

2350g weight

Width = 64.6cm, Height = 28.0cm, Length = 3.7cm

Outside of the box, the Sova is an impressive piece of kit. Speaking to Roccat’s APAC Marketing Manager Iwi Lin at EB Games Expo 2016, he told me that Roccat’s designers were intially worried about the size of the Sova – specifically if it was too big. It is quite large, I’ll give it that, but I’ve found that it is the perfect fit both on my lap and coffee table.

Setting up the lapboard is a simple process – simply connect the break-away USB cable to your desktop or laptop computer and let it do the rest. You’ll need to connect a mouse as the lapboard doesn’t come with one, but if you have a PC you should have a mouse. I mean, you’re here reading this, aren’t you?

The Sova comes in a stylish black finish, with blacklit keys illuminated Roccat’s distinguishable shade of blue. The keys on the Sova are plastic membrane, though another model, the Roccat sova MK, does feature mechanical keys. Along the bottom of the keyboard is a thick wrist support, which is able to be removed and customised to the user’s preference. The mouse surface is also able to be removed and customised.

In terms of buttons available, the Sova is a fairly standard keyboard, with no media or macro keys. While it’s disappointing that there aren’t any macro keys, it’s understandable – utilizing the lapboard’s surface area is crucial – having macro keys might have thrown the balance of the board off.

The Lapboard has an extremely ergonomic design, with angled edges that ensure comfortability on both quick and lengthy gaming sessions.

Once set up, the Sova functions like a desktop mouse and keyboard combo, albeit more comfortable. The padding on the back of the lapboard is soft, though it also feels durable. Weighing at just over 2 kilos, the Sova comes in at a decent weight – not feeling flimsy but not too heavy either.

The keyboard functions quite well, with a quick response time (thanks to its 1000Hz polling rate), as well its distance from the wrist support. There isn’t much more to say about the keyboard, as it performs exactly how you would want – it just doesn’t have the bells and whistles of a lot of other gaming peripherals.

The mouse pad is incredibly smooth – in fact, I was actually taken aback by just how smooth it is. I tested the Sova’s mousepad with a Roccat Kova and a Roccat Tyon, both of which were a joy to use. I have to admit I had doubts about using a mouse on a lapboard, but the Sova quelled those doubts rather quickly.

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Review Sumary

Build Quality

Design

Features

Functionality

Ultimately the Roccat Sova Gaming Lapboard is a fantastic piece of kit, accomplishing its goal of bridging the gap between desktop and loungeroom gaming. If you play PC games on your TV, I highly recommend the Roccat Sova as it will put an end to USB cord extenders and awkward setups for good.

Nick is the editor-in-chief of Sticky Trigger and the games editor for Gametraders Live Magazine. He also streams on Twitch and Facebook as well as creating content at DoobaTV. He has planned and executed numerous charity events and is looking to bring together his love of charity and gaming.

Follow @StickyTrigger on Instagram

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